Roommate refuses to let the other tenant buy new furniture after announcing she's leaving and taking everything with her: ‘Wait until I've moved out’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jun 15, 2026 7:45 AM EDT

You can never know what you're signing yourself up to when you agree to share your living space with another person.

A roommate can be your best friend, or your worst enemy, and you won't be able to find out which of the two it will be before you actually move in. They can be the messiest people in the world, or they might keep your home as tidy and clean as possible. They can be responsible with bills, or they can be a pain whenever you remind them that rent is due. There is truly no way of knowing what you will get before it actually happens.

Most people find themselves going through at least a few of their worst enemies before they find a roommate they consider a best friend. As a young adult, it is basically a rite of passage to find yourself living with someone you cannot stand, or with someone who keeps giving you a headache over the rent, or anything else related to your shared living situation.

The story below is a perfect example of how living with someone can turn into an unwanted headache you can't get rid of until the very day your "delightful" roommate decides to move out… or until you reach your breaking point and escape on your own.

The dispute between these two roommates is all about how one roommate is moving and taking most of the furniture with her, while also refusing to let the remaining roommate buy new furniture to replace what she's taking.

The remaining roommate is now at an impasse, wanting to get new things for themselves but also not wanting to deal with the stubborn soon-to-be-ex roommate.

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  • 01
    A woman moving boxes in the living room, model representing.
    via Vitaly Gariev

    A woman moving boxes in the living room, model representing.

  • 02

    AITA for buying new furniture to replace the furniture my roommate is taking with her when she moves out in a month?

    My roommate is moving out at the end of July and told me she wants to take most of the living room furniture with her. That's fine by me because I would have wanted to sell/give it away
    via ptilothrix
  • 03
    anyways since I'm excited to make the space my own. The existing furniture was left behind by the previous tenant before us. Since she's now moving in about a month and half I've started
    via ptilothrix
  • 04
    sourcing replacements for some of the major stuff since that is a process that takes time, especially if you're thrifting or waiting for sales. This also means that, temporarily, we have doubles of
    via ptilothrix
  • 05
    some furniture - the piece of furniture she will be taking with. her, and the piece of furniture that will stay with me.
    via ptilothrix
  • 06
    She's been getting increasingly irritated by this situation and wants me to wait until she has fully moved out to begin replacing any of the furniture
    via ptilothrix
  • 07
    because it's annoying to look at and makes the space feel cluttered. I agree it's annoying to look at, but I've done the best I can to put things in spaces we
    via ptilothrix
  • 08
    weren't using to begin with or in my bedroom, so the that is the extent of the inconvenience.
    via ptilothrix
  • 09
    I get that she wants the apartment to stay the way it's always been so she can relax and enjoy her last month here. But the apartment is going to be in transition regardless as she
    via ptilothrix
  • 10
    still needs to arrange movers, a truck, someone to drive the truck, a storage unit, etc., much less beginning packing. Having duplicate furniture for a few weeks isn't ideal, but it seems
    via ptilothrix
  • 11
    unreasonable to expect me to put off all preparations until after she moves out and then wake up to an empty apartment the day after she moves out just because she
    via ptilothrix
  • 12
    moves out and then wake up to an empty apartment the day after she moves out just because she doesn't like the way the apartment looks. But I'm open to being way off base here! AITA?
    via ptilothrix
  • 13
    ObjectiveRepulsive 18 Tell her you'll stop buying new if she's leaving things behind, but if not, too bad. Does she honestly expect you to wait until her moving day to find furniture??
    via ObjectiveRepulsive18
  • 14
    That would be like telling her she's not allowed to pack ANYTHING until moving day because you don't like boxes.
    via ObjectiveRepulsive18
  • 15
    She's being ridiculous, I'd completely ignore her and carry on. Replacing the furniture (that is actually half yours by ownership) and the inconvenience that comes with it is a natural consequence of HER
    via ObjectiveRepulsive18
  • 16
    decision. If she continues to argue, tell her you've changed your mind and will be keeping half the old stuff. NTA
    via ObjectiveRepulsive18
  • 17
    Silaquix NTA but if she's hiring movers and claiming all the furniture, be sure to label and supervise so they don't take your new stuff by mistake
    via Silaquix
  • 18
    Wise-Matter9248 What, she wants you to sit on the floor for several weeks until you find what you need, since she's declared she's taking everything? NTA
    via Wise-Matter9248

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